How Ann Clark transformed Rutland into the cookie cutter capital of the country
A labor of creative love that transforms a simple sugar cookie into a work of edible art meant to be shared with family and friends. And each of those treats probably began with an Ann Clark cookie cutter made in Rutland, Vermont.
Photo Courtesy Ann Clark LTD
It’s that sugar cookie and gingerbread time of year, when platters and boxes of beautifully decorated holiday treats appear on every counter. Festive turkeys, maple leaves, and pumpkins are followed by gingerbread boys and Christmas trees, menorahs and dreidels, snowmen and Santas, reindeer and candy canes. Talented bakers spend hours decorating these whimsical shapes with a rainbow of colors that breathe cheerful life into the figures. A labor of creative love that transforms a simple sugar cookie into a work of edible art meant to be shared with family and friends. And each of those treats probably began with an Ann Clark cookie cutter made in Rutland, Vermont.
Ann Clark and her husband, John, founded the eponymous company in 1989, a small venture that has evolved into the largest manufacturer of cookie cutters in the United States. Ann’s first shape was a playful pig, and the company now boasts more than 800 shapes made in Rutland with tin-plated steel from Pennsylvania. Over the course of 36 years, the name Ann Clark has become legendary for high-quality cookie cutters and decorating supplies trusted by home bakers and professionals alike.
The company held so much promise that Ann’s son Ben and his wife, Denise, left their successful corporate careers (Ben was an engineer with Black & Decker and Denise on the partner track at a law firm) and moved back to Vermont in 1998 to take the family business to the next level. Ben now serves as the company’s CEO and Denise oversees human resources. Ben grew up in Rutland, earned an engineering degree from University of Vermont, and embraced the outdoor lifestyle that the Green Mountains offered, and he and Denise wanted their two young daughters to enjoy the same opportunities.
Ann Clark started as a small venture that has evolved into the largest manufacturer of cookie cutters in the United States.
“I’m not a cookie cutter aficionado,” Ben says with a laugh. “I just like making and selling things and creating efficient systems.” He quickly applied his logistical mind to refining the production facility and, over time, developed a highly efficient manufacturing process. His first decision was to make the cutters in Vermont rather than buy imported cutters. “When I started here in 1998, we literally built a table and started making the cutters by hand. We steadily improved our systems and started mechanizing more of the work, and that led to building our state-of-the-art cookie cutter fabrication machines, which we designed to our specifications. We now can make the cutters at the same cost as importing from China.”
“If we have an idea for a new shape,” Ben explains, “we can design and build the metal die on Tuesday, start producing the cutter on Wednesday, and ship them on Thursday.” Ann Clark employs 35 people, and the teams on the plant floor are cross-trained to handle every step of the fabrication process: cutting and welding circular bands of tin-plated steel, setting up each machine with the specific metal die, then placing that steel band around the shaped die where mechanical fingers punch the circular band into the cutter’s shape at the touch of an air-compressor button. “We’ve designed everything for streamlined efficiency, so everyone knows what they’re doing and how to problem-solve. The team enjoys that they’re not stuck doing one aspect of the process all day, and the steady shifting among the stations keeps the work interesting.”
Ben Clark is rightfully proud of his company’s efficiencies. “We make 3 to 5 million cutters each year, in small runs of 300 per shape. This allows us to reduce inventory, be flexible, and launch new products. The more we make, the better we get.”
The company produces a dizzying array of cookie cutters for any imaginable occasion, from traditional to whimsical. Hamburgers and tacos, pinatas and gnomes, a Noah’s ark of animals. Sports-themed cutters are ideal for team celebrations, and you can be sure there’s a slew of shapes perfectly suited for birthdays and baby showers. And who doesn’t love munching on a cheerful rainbow cookie or brightly decorated bunch of balloons? At just a few bucks apiece, these affordable cutters are a perfect treat for yourself and friends, and their sturdy construction ensures they will last a lifetime, ready to pass along to the next generation of enthusiastic bakers.
However, Ann Clark is more than just cookie cutters. The company now produces its own line of premium baking mixes (four varieties of scones, Belgian waffles, cakes, and of course, sugar cookies and gingerbread among other cookie mix flavors), high-end gels and food coloring, icing mixes, decorating supplies, and other baking equipment, all geared to inspire the home baker. Ben hired a professional chef to develop the recipes, and everything is produced and packaged in a commercial kitchen facility adjacent to the Rutland factory.
A cookier is someone who bakes and decorates cookies, transforming the humble buttery canvas into an edible work of art.
Ann Clark has also evolved into a trusted resource for education; its website offers hundreds of high-quality videos, tutorials, and recipes on the art of decorating cookies and cakes. Pour a mug of something delicious and dive down that rabbit hole if you’re looking to broaden your game. (Beware: you may emerge bleary-eyed hours later.) The patient folks behind these supportive guides will encourage you to tap in to your talents and become a creative cookier.
A cookier? Yep, that’s a real thing, not a typo. A cookier is someone who bakes and decorates cookies, transforming the humble buttery canvas into an edible work of art. Comprised of enthusiastic professionals and home bakers, cookiers are an inclusive and fun national community intent on sharing inspiration and knowledge. In fact, since 2012, they’ve held an annual CookieCon, the Cookie Art Convention and Show. (The 2026 CookieCon will take place in Orlando, Florida from June 24 to 27. Book early!) “We go to CookieCon every year,” Ben says. “It’s an amazing gathering of more than 800 women—and a few brave men—taking decorating classes from the pros. My mom is like a goddess in that circle, and I’m just ‘Ann’s son,’” he laughs. The Ann Clark website also offers direct links to classes and workshops taught by more than 500 cookiers across the country; just type in your ZIP code to find an online or in-person class near you.
Thirty-six years ago, Ann Clark applied her artistic flair and love of baking to launch a hobby business from her garage in Rutland. Although retired, Ann still confers with Ben about designs and ideas while also volunteering at Rutland City Free Library and remaining active in her local garden club. Her creative, entrepreneurial spirit lives on in Ben who carries on the family tradition, happily making Rutland the cookie cutter capital of the United States.
